


Middleearth Shenanigans

by LaurineFrost



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Boromir Lives, F/F, F/M, M/M, Modern AU, Multi, Other, oneshots, sometimes at least, various people die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25567336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaurineFrost/pseuds/LaurineFrost
Summary: Just a bunch of oneshots I wrote for my friend, including our Middleearth-alter-egos. Emotional dumpster for all the feelings we have for this and tbh I'm just making her cry that's the whole point, may it be out of sadness or disbelief for the dumbassery I created.
Relationships: Arwen Undómiel & Éowyn, Arwen Undómiel/Éowyn, Boromir (Son of Denethor II) & Faramir (Son of Denethor II), Boromir (Son of Denethor II) & Faramir (Son of Denethor II) & Original Female Character(s), Boromir (Son of Denethor II)/Faramir (Son of Denethor II), Boromir (Son of Denethor II)/Original Female Character(s), Faramir (Son of Denethor II)/Original Female Character(s), Rose Cotton & Sam Gamgee, Rose Cotton/Sam Gamgee, Éomer Éadig & Original Female Character(s), Éomer Éadig/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Your Shield

It happened too fast. As if he didn't hear, as if he didn't see he tried to cut through his enemies, adrenaline pumping through his veins when he sliced open their skin and severed their heads from their bodies. He knew Aslaug had his back, they knew each other's style of fighting as if it were their own. There had not been a battle they had lost as long as they were together.  
He knew this battle would be different. The moment he sat both of his feet on land he felt uneasy and restless, an unfamiliar tightness forming in his stomach whenever he looked at her. Now, surrounded by countless Uruk-hai he knew there was not a second to waste thinking about anything that wasn't survival.  
He cursed himself in his thoughts as his mind slipped away again. If only he hadn't lost his temper. He shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have confronted Frodo and shouldn't have let this damned ring corrupt his mind. Boromir felt like a child, tricked into doing something irresponsible and stupid so easily.

He felt someone push him to the side, Aslaug caught the arrow shot at him with her shield, to his surprise it pierced right through the wood. In the blink of an eye he had lost her, she wasn't on his side anymore, he turned his head looking for her, ducked under an axe being launched at him and attacked his next opponent. She'd be alright, he knew her and he knew she wasn't a week little helpless girl.  
He turned again when he heard a gasp from further away and spotted her, surrounded by a bunch of disgusting make-shift Orcs with an arrow lodged between her ribs. His eyes widened and he tried to cut his way through the bodies, while protecting both Merry and Pippin. All he heard was his heart pounding his ears, the pressure dangerously close to rupturing his eardrums. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't reach, it felt like he got pushed away further and further. He looked around as he heard both of the Hobbits scream, Uruk-hai grabbing at them with their filthy hands and taking the boys with them. Boromir felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and went numb, seeing figures run past him. When he regained consciousness everyone was gone, however, he was still standing, then looked around and fell to his knees as he felt his heart clench and then drop, settling deep down in his stomach. An immense feeling of nausea washed over him.  
Boromir fell forward when he tried to get closer, fingers digging in the dirt when he crawled forward, sweat dripping down his forehead and into his eyes, clouding his view and burning like salt pressed into a wound. His hands began to tremble when he reached for her pale skin, brushing a few stray hairs away from her face. Ragged breaths escaped her bruised lips, blood spilling from her mouth with every weakening cough. He tore his eyes away from her face to her body and gulped. There was blood everywhere, oozing out around the arrows that pierced her chest and abdomen.  
He began to fuss over her, shaking fingers hovering over her body as if he was able to magically make the arrows disappear and her wounds close up.  
"Boromir-"  
"Shh, don't."  
He panicked, he didn't know what to do or how to help her, ease her pain, make her whole and alright again. The man's head snapped back to her face when he heard a pained moan escape her.  
"It's no use.", she whispered at him, the tiny smile immediately disappearing when another wave of throbbing agony washed over her.  
"Don't say that Aslaug."  
He tried to calm down but he couldn't tell if it was for his or her sake. Her eyes wandered over his face, then in all directions to gain awareness of her surroundings.  
"The Hobbits, they-"  
"I know, we'll get to them I promise."  
He promised. Never had he thought it would end like this, not on the bad days he had back home, the countless times they had patched the other up, made the other heal again. It felt like ages ago that her older sister had been promised to his cousin, that's how they met after all. Boromir didn't remember her, Aslaug was a child when he visited Calembel, only years later he noticed the beautiful woman she had become, face to face in combat when she almost tore him a new one. Back then he had mocked her, not knowing that she was capable of handling the battle axe as if it were no less than a broomstick. His brows knitted together and tears slipped from his eyes as he thought about how he had made fun of her frame, not knowing she could handle the battle axe as if it was a no more than a broomstick. He remembered sparring with the hot-headed young woman, he couldn't help but fall more for her whenever she had a new surprise for him. After all, Aslaug had been his for as long as he knew, the only person that had managed to stand up to both his brother and him laid in his arms, too weak to hold onto him.  
"I was your shield.", she laughed weakly, looking down to see her body. Aslaug closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.  
"No, stay here, listen, listen to me I-", Boromir began choking on his words, stumbled over them as he looked around, desperate to maybe find a remedy appearing on the horizon, "I should have been the one protecting you, no, not like this."  
His hands gently pressed down on her wounds, trying to push the blood back to where it should be but all it did was to force a hiss through Aslaug's clenched teeth.  
"No."  
By now her voice was not more than a faint breath, he leaned in closer to understand, his tears falling hot on her cold skin.  
"Please don't", she reached up to touch his face, gently wiping away the tears, her fingers gently danced over his skin one last time, leaving behind a trail of blood his cheek.  
"I know you can… live… be happy without- me."  
She dropped her hand to her side and closed her eyes. The man cradled her closer in his arms, pressing her body against his as best as he could.  
"Don't go, please."  
He sobbed as he felt her body go limp in his embrace, full of fear he tried to shake her gently, though it looked like he was swaying her to sleep. His large hand caressed her cheek as he pressed his forehead to hers.  
"My friend, my Queen, my Beloved."


	2. Sleeping at Last

"Up again?"  
Aslaug flinched and a shiver ran down her spine as she turned around abruptly. Lost in thought she hadn't recognized the younger son of the Steward of Gondor approach her. Who would have thought that there was anyone still awake at this ungodly hour except the guards. A deep sight escaped her chest as she turned away from him and let her eyes wander, slowly becoming unfocused. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the fastening of her heartbeat, the trembling of her fingers and the voice inside her head that told her to burst into tears immediately. Aslaug heard him walking towards her and taking a seat to her right, his eyes looking for any type of emotion displayed on her face that could give him a hint about her wellbeing and state of mind but her stoic expression made that impossible. When she didn't answer he spoke up again.  
"You look tired."  
"Did you eat today?"  
He was unable to coax a word out of her. Faramir laid his head back and took in a deep breath.  
"Tell me, is something wrong? You know you can count on me, right? And it's okay if you can't find the words but give me something."  
The Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien couldn't deal with the silence she had forced upon him. He hated the uncomfortable situation, he had never been one to enjoy silence when he spent time with the people he liked but the lack of response made him especially uneasy. He began to play with his fingers as the nervousness overcame him. In the dead of the night only the moon illuminated the both of them sitting in the garden his late mother had cherished so deeply. The blossoms of the white angels trumpets and hung not far above their heads and the smell of the gardenias washed over him in this enjoyably warm night. The wind that skimmed over his exposed forearms made goosebumps appear nonetheless.  
"I know that you know how I feel about you." He exclaimed, breaking the silence.  
That was when the first tears began to slip from her eyes and she let out a choked sob.  
"And I will love you with every single thing I have."  
He carefully laid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him and she immediately rested her head in the crook of his neck. There were countless tears drenching his clothes when he raised his other hand to wave his fingers through her hair that was not styled into braids as it usually was. He gently brushed his fingertips over her back, always catching the seam of nightgown when he did.  
"I will love you without any strings attached."  
She did not answer this time either but clenched her hands tighter, tugging at the linen shirt he was wearing. It was undeniable that she was holding onto him for dear life, fearing to lose her head, sense and sanity altogether. It took him a while to find the words he was looking for.  
"I know you love him. And maybe one day I can fix myself and learn, somehow to be loved myself."  
"I do love you!", she pushed him away and wrapped her hands around her chest protectively. Clumsily she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. His eyes widened in disbelief as he searched for a clue on her face that could tell him she was lying.  
"I love both of you, equally,", she shook her head and tried to blink away the new tears that were constantly forming, "but I can't." Aslaug didn't dare to look at his face as she choked on her own words. "And it breaks my heart because I know that I cannot have you both and even if I was forced to choose I couldn't- not without breaking two other hearts that are not mine."  
Faramir tried to reach for her but stopped himself from doing so. On the one hand he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach and warmth spreading in his chest due to her confession, but otherwise his heart clenched painfully and dropped in the pit of his stomach. All the pieces connected, the way she had distanced herself from both him and his brother, how she'd talk to them less and rejected their invitations to go for a stroll around the city, spar or even go for a drink as they did often. Aslaug's eyes were firmly glued to the ground. She was terrified, absolutely struck with terror. What would happen when she looked up? The brunette was sure that if her eyes found his she would be faced with an expression of disgust, he would find her repulsive for loving two men at the same time, brothers on top of that. Internally, she shook her head. She could never, not if all planets aligned make both of them happy no matter what decision she made. If she choose one over the other there was only one possible outcome: She would tear the siblings apart, their relationship was bound to be destroyed in this case, she'd break the heart of the one she chose because he'd lose his brother, the other's would break just as bad because he was losing both his love and his dearest friend and her's was certain to rot in her chest, knowing about the pain she inflicted to both of them. To live with the weight of this on her shoulders, the ache that would overcome her every time she looked into the eyes of the men she loved – she was strong, but no matter with how many promises she'd cover herself, false hopes and lies, no armor, no matter how strong could protect her from the sharp knife of guilt.  
Aslaug straightened her posture, back straight and muscles as taut as a bowstring. There was one way to avoid this. She had to go, and she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my try to do a songfic :/  
> "Two" by Sleeping at Last 
> 
> It's one big block of text and it scares me tbh.  
> Part 2 of the birthday-oneshots!


	3. Chapter 3

Aslaug hadn't spoken to anyone, it took her days to open up the door to her chambers to let her most trusted friends in to keep her company. Her siblings had been by her side quickly after they received the news but there was nothing in their power they could do to console their sister, so she cried, silently, from the first light of the morning sun until deep in the night when exhaustion washed over her and granted her a few hours of nightmare-plagued sleep.  
It wasn't fair. All those years they spent pining for the other, wasted. It had taken them so long, only to be granted with so little.  
Her eyes wandered over the Pelennor Fields, dark clouds rolling other the hills from the East, gathering over the city, casting a gloomy shadow over its people. She wished it wasn't true, but in her heart she knew. She knew the second the words slipped from the Herald's lips and her world began to crumble into pieces. Aslaug bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. It was her fault and no one else's, she said to herself. She looked up into the sky, tears starting to trickle down her face, mixing with the rain that began to pour down. When she fell to her knees her hands tightened around the knife she aimed at her stomach, she raised her arms and swung them down – and stopped. As if her body wouldn't obey her anymore the blade hovered over her clothes and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it. Less than an inch away from her skin her fingers tensed so badly that from on second to the other they sprung apart and everything she heard was the sound of metal hitting stone. A pained scream erupted from her throat.  
If it hadn't been for that thing. No time had been worse for them to have a child, not with the signs of an approaching war on their doorstep. She wanted to tell him, she had made her mind up about when and how and where but once he came to her with wide long steps, gathered her into his strong arms and pressed her against him Aslaug knew something was wrong. His touch – she remembered how he pushed loose strands of her hair behind her ears and looked her in the eyes.  
"I have to go. And I can't take you with me, you know how he is. I won't let Faramir face that, I know I can do it. Trust me."  
And she begged, as if she was a small child she almost clung to his leg, calling his brother for help to try to convince him otherwise – If it hadn't been for him being so stubborn about it, for his narrow-minded father that had gone mad way too long ago.  
"Love, I'm expecting. Boromir please, you can't-"  
"That's not true and you know it. Stop making up excuses and stop being ridiculous, you're behaving like a child. It is my duty protect my people and I am the only one he entrusts with this mission."  
"I'm not, please, listen, and think about it, please, one more night."  
Thick tears began rolling down her cheeks, clouding her view and making her eyes hurt. It hurt, it almost tore her heart apart that he didn't believe her, that he seemed to pay no attention to her words. It wasn't the time to make rushed decisions, she had noticed both their prophetic dreams and how they predicted nothing good. The first son of Denethor had known her for years, they had fought and won together, he should have known her better than he knew himself. The back of his mind something called out to him, he had learned that she had a good intuition, why wouldn't he listen? No matter how badly he wanted something she could usually make him think straight and clear his mind. Why now, out of all times she pestered him with her advice and concerns, was he ignoring her call. She never cried, he didn't even need one hand to count all the times he had seen her only half as miserable as she was now, not even when she got severely hurt. He asked himself why he wasn't listening.

He knew, the moment he left, the moment he locked eyes with his brother, the last time he saw her and she avoided his gaze to keep her composure- that things would never be the same. Every inch of his being rebelled against his mind, worry and doubt eating him away. And he had been right.

No one was there to tell her how his last thoughts orbited around his love, around the thought that he had lied to himself all this time since he left her behind, that she'd never say something so grave without meaning every single word. He'd never see his little brother, he'd never hold her in his arms again, and he'd never see a small smile creep over the face of his child. And he was the only one he could blame for that.

It struck the younger of the brothers like lightning when heard the sickening metallic sound and he saw his friend kneeling on the cold stone floor, clothes soaked from the rain, the fabric clinging to her body that had diminished to not more than skin and bones, her stomach obscenely protruding from her shaking frame. Guilt washed over him, that he had in fact spent a second doubting her words all these months ago – but now that he saw her, so small and vulnerable he felt sick to his stomach. It should have been him in this boat, not his brother. He knew that.  
Her voice tore him apart from the inside out, he felt that pain and anger and betrayal that rushed through, but there was no one in Middle Earth that his brother's death had hit more than her. Carefully he enveloped her and pressed her body against him, arms and chest protectively trying to shield her from every harm that could possibly come to her. Aslaug's sobs made him shake from their intensity and he couldn't help her grab her tighter and tuck her impossibly closer to him as if he was able to absorb the sadness and anger to deal with it for her. Faramir placed his large and warm hand on her stomach. Nothing in this world would harm them, he said to himself. He had to protect both of them, he had to do it for his brother, no matter the cost. 

It wasn't even a week later when everything took a turn for the worse once more.  
She was begging for another man not to leave her, speaking more in an hour than she had in the past weeks. Her hands were shaking in his grasp and he looked at her with a smile on his face, the same his brother had shown her too many times, filled with adoration and love. He had to do this, for his father and his honor. He had to prove that he was worthy, that he could take his place one day. This mission was destines to fail but there was no way out for him, yet he knew it was wrong. He was painfully aware he'd sworn to protect her, to stay by her side to fulfill the promise Boromir failed to keep.  
And he felt like he left his heart and soul behind when he looked over his shoulder and saw how she could barely hold herself up, face red and swollen from her cries, leaning against a wall and her arms wrapped around her stomach. 

A few nights later, when everyone fought for their lives on the Fields of Pelennor, Aslaug fought her own battle for her and her child's life. Every time another projectile hit the walls of her hometown everything begun to shake vigorously, forcing another scream out of her lungs. No reassuring words get through to her as she was clinging on for dear life. This child, no matter how much she damned its existence, deserved to live even if it meant her demise.  
She wasn't prepared for this, her body was weakening over the last few months and now she had barely enough strength to keep her eyes open. Beads of sweat cascaded down her forehead and all she could focus on were the screams of dying men, her dying men.  
And she thought, how this could have ended, with both her, her husband and his brother fighting for their people like they used to do so often. More tears slipped from her eyes as her body tensed up one last time, and after that, the world around her went quiet.

It was alright. When Aslaug opened her eyes again the rebuilding of the city had already begun. She felt disoriented, it had been eerily calm for the city she had grown accustomed to, even in peaceful times one could hear the normal rustling of some form or life outside. With a growing headache she gently lifted her head and felt a small weight on her chest. From one second to the other every feeling in the world came crashing down on her as she hastily cradled the newborn into her arms.  
"You're awake", he spoke up with a soft tone in his voice. She almost leapt out of bed when she saw him but he was able to keep her calm, sitting down next to her on the bed, carefully wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  
"You're really here, you're back." she whispered, not yet believing her eyes. Everyone thought he was dead. The news about his return had made her faint and when she regained consciousness her contractions had already started. He nodded slowly, tilting his head to the side to see the child in her arms. Aslaug adjusted the little body so it was easier for him to take a closer look.  
"She has his hair, and his lips too."  
Her eyes wandered from her baby to the man sitting behind her, a confused and questioning look on her face. She noticed how he didn't recognize her silence and couldn't tear his face away from the little girl.  
"A girl?", the words left her almost as if she was in disbelief. Long ago, she would have said to herself that whatever child they had, she'd love them unconditionally but now, a daughter was the last thing she needed, mostly in the eyes of her father-in-law. She could already feel his disapproving eyes when he would get the news, she hoped he didn't know anything yet.  
"Nuuk told me and the midwife told her." Aslaug nodded.  
"Everything is so quiet. What happened?"  
"They won. But they're preparing for the next battle I suppose, nothing you have to worry about."  
"Nothing- Faramir your Father will send you away again I know-"  
The jostling and her raised voice woke up the infant in her arms which began to cry loudly. With wide eyes she looked down and slowly began swaying her arms on one side to the other, quickly calming the child back down. Once she turned her head she faced her friend again, an unintelligible mix of emotions adorning his face.  
"Father is no more.", he said quietly.  
Instinctively she leaned against him, the brunette didn't know what to say nor what to do. Deep down she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders, a guilty conscience took root inside of her. There was no way she should feel glad about his death, but for many reasons she was.  
"I'm sorry."  
He simply shook his head and rested his chin on top of her hair.  
"Don't be."  
A rather comfortable silence overcame the both of them for some time.  
"I haven't thought of a name yet."  
"You didn't?"  
"I never… wasted a thought on it. Never thought I'd be here."  
A deep sigh escaped both of them at the same time, but it didn't take long for Faramir to find one.  
"She looks like my mother."  
"Finduilas? Do you think that's appropriate?"  
He took another look at the child that one again began to stir in her arms and then, opened her big, grey eyes. A smile began to spread on his lips.  
It had taken years for her to recover. For her soul to heal and for her heart to feel joy again, for the void her first love had left behind had been filled with the love for their child and love for the man that had been by her side through all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3/3!!!  
> This one is called "bbbbegone thot", I don't know I chose to name the file but ugh.  
> What am I even doing.  
> I can't name chapters for the life of me


	4. Gardening in Isengard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy, something that doesn't screem "Impending Doom" I like that.  
> Prepare for trouble and cringe and all the bad stuff in the following chapters I have watched too many parodies to take anything seriously.

And it was a sunny day, after all. Rays of sunshine had made the dewdrops disappear from the grass in the morning and started to warm up the valley over the past couple of weeks. At least a lot of plants begun to push through the burnt ground over time and it looked like there was some life in Isengard after the overwhelming darkness had left. There were few clouds in the sky and a slight breeze drove through her garments, the fresh grass tickling the soles of her feet as she walked around looking for someone. She laid her head back and looked up to the top of the tower that stood tall before her, the black stone and iron no longer matching its surroundings. Aslaug breathed in and out deeply, turned away and continued on her path. It didn't take long for her to find the people she was looking for, and as soon as she saw them a smile formed on her lips.  
There they sat, two Halflings on the ground with their hands and knees deep in the dirt, two others carrying over flowers and bulbs, ready to be planted. Merely two feet away from them was her husband in a similar position, carefully pressing the roots down so the plant would stay in its place. Absentmindedly he sat on his knees and wept the sweat from his brow. The woman came up behind him and carefully laid her cold hands on his cheeks which made him flinch slightly. Nonetheless he enjoyed her touch and leaned his head back, pouting his lips which she kissed with a giggle.  
"You're making progress, I'm proud."  
"We spent all day, Ma'am."  
She smiled at the blond Hobbit who was wearing a thick straw hat to protect him from the sun. Her eyes wandered over the place. The inner ring around the Tower was halfway finished, one sector full of flowers was followed by one with wild growing grass and everything that decided to appear naturally, the next contained newly planted trees to create an orchard, a vegetable garden right beside it. Each part received a new function that was made to serve more people than warfare and iron forging ever could. Deep in thought she almost forgot about the basket she had brought with her but remembered to surprise the men with food and drinks anyway. Together they rested for a while and ate. Earlier in the day the new Lady of Ithilien payed a visit to the people who had started to build a few houses in the outside rings of Isengard and also the ones who settled outside of the wall. Steadily they tore it down brick by brick to build up their houses. Many of them had lost their homes in the war, devastating damage had been done to too many places in all of Rohan and those who survived had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She didn't like to remember the battles, not even a year had passed since then but it seemed as the lands were a better place already. To her surprise a small community had established around Saruman's former residency and it calmed her that there was still so much good in this world, especially after these people had faced so much cruelty and terror they found a place to stay.  
A shiver ran down her spine when another presence approached them and pulled her out of her thoughts. Aslaug looked up and saw the Lady of Isengard whose eyes wandered around, went over the hills and far into the distance before she also settled down with a sigh. She looked almost childlike, round face and round eyes made it impossible to see that she herself was as old as time- if not older.  
"They're reclaiming the woods.", a small smile graced her lips as she spoke, gently moving her head into the direction she wanted to guide the brunettes attention to. Indeed, the Ends did everything in their power to make the woods regain their life and strength, the magic wafting off of the mountainsides and benefitting the growth of the plants within the tall walls. They had set the river free in their attack on the Iron Fortress and the waterfall that still cascaded down the mountains had formed a lake with clear water that shimmered under the sun.  
"I am glad they accept people here. As long as there will be no more harm- I am afraid that we won't regain their trust but hopefully tolerance, they supplied wood for the houses out of their free will. Perhaps men will protect and be protected in this new time."  
A human lifetime must be like the blink of an eye for the woman. Aslaug was amazed by how much she could see the lady change every day, her hair became lighter and less dim by day, her skin seemed less pale and more alive and she had peeled out of her dark, slim fitting clothes, now crème and pale fabric wrapped around her body loosely.  
"We shall discuss what to do with the Tower.", she said, looking up to the building that cast a shadow over the land depending on the time of day.  
"Mr. Gamgee.", she approached the Halfling who clumsily scrambled up and bowed to her, the others almost following his actions before she could stop them, "please, no time wasted for formalities. You are no less than me and therefor you shall not bow down." The corners of her mouth lifted. She gestured for them to sit back down and continue what they were doing, yet gaining their attention.  
"I thought about ivy, all up to the top, Wisteria too."  
The Hobbit nodded, also looking up to the dark building, its presence still threatening.  
"Those are wonderful, I thought about Star Jasmine and Moonflowers." – "Honeysuckle!", Pippin chimed in. They received an approving nod and a slightly wider smile from her.  
"I knew it was the right choice to entrust you with this task."  
Not long after they went back to work and Aslaug was asked to join the Lady on a walk through the growing gardens. There wasn't much talk, rather comfortable silence between them, but after some time the brunette spoke up.  
"Have you heard of him? Anything?"  
Her companion shook her head and her eyes wandered to the ground and stayed there.  
"I haven't felt anything since that day.", when her home collapsed on itself and created nothing but a dark pit at the gates of Mordor. "I did what I had to, he had me under his spell for long enough – I wish I did it sooner."  
"You lost your home like all those people." – "It should have never been my home."  
After that they fell into silence again, a stoic expression displayed on both of their faces. The brunette thought back to the moment, shortly after the battle at the Black Gate a group of Rangers and Rohan Riders was sent out to Mordor, to look for surviving humans that had been held hostage in the grasp of darkness, or rather any remaining life in the dark lands of the east. Once they reached the ruins of Barad-dûr, Pippin, who had also taken part in this mission, spotted a glowing light within the darkness. He had jumped off of the horse's back and heard the rider calling after him but didn't stop his movements and stumbled over broken stone. What at first seemed small to him became larger the closer he got to it. Helplessly, he began pushing stones away from the shimmer but it was only after his companion decided to join him he was able to completely remove all the objects that lay in his path.  
He didn't trust his eyes when he finally saw what had emitted the light. Before him was a girl with long, black hair. She laid in a curled position, arms protectively wrapped around her legs that were pulled to her chest. The small body was covered by nothing except a heavy layer of dust. The man who accompanied Pippin quickly called out to his fellow Riders that they had indeed found someone. The Halfling hastily placed his coat over her before another man picked her up and they took her back to Minas Tirith.  
When she finally came to her senses a few days later she looked at the small group around her with the eyes of a newborn child. An expression of wonder and interest was written over her face, if she had never seen a man, elf, dwarf of Halfling alike. With curiosity she had inspected her arms and marveled at the movement of her fingers. When Aragorn, the now crowned King of Gondor, had spoken to her she replied in a tongue long unknown to man, before the words of his language stumbled over her lips clumsily.  
When questioned she seemed to know not more than her own name, Morguldil, and a few events strewn across the last millennia. The look of loss and confusion permanently in her eyes. It surprised everyone when she asked for one man that was known to all of them.  
"Where is Mairon?"  
It had taken the wizard a lot of time to explain what had happened in the entirety of the Ages and before. She followed his words with a lot of interest and nodded along, asking no questions.  
He had taken her away from the crowd and spoke to her in private, trying to shield her from the invasive interrogation of the others. He talked to her for hours before she responded to him in a small voice, scratchy from the lack of use over the years but still barely above a whisper.  
"He turned away from the light to find a way to bring me back. He wanted control over everything, even death."  
The woman who looked as childish to him as most Halflings did to men spoke with sadness, a tone of despair and melancholy coated her speech  
"It was for me you had to go through so much."  
As turned out her life was a successful experiment to bring her soul and body back from the land of the dead but she seemed to have lost her power as she told to them. Once as strong as all of her kind had been Morguldil was not more than an elf or man now, for what they deemed her to be. Also her name had been taken from her, merely the godly glow was left on her skin.  
"It seems he robbed me of my strength to use it for his gain. How foolish of me to let him."  
She began to cry in front of the Fellowship, almost perfectly round tears rolling over her face as she struggled to hold herself together. Redness crept up her chest and neck, blotches of color formed on her skin while she sniffled into palm of her hand. Years of hurt, pain, loss and abuse came crashing down on her all at once and it seemed to the people present that even what used to be a God could only take so much.  
It took the Halfling that had found her less than a second to rush forward and embrace her shaking form, allowing her to cry against his shoulder. She calmed herself within minutes and the cries and redness vanished as quickly as they came upon her in the first place.  
The woman thanked him when he wiped the tears of her face with a small handkerchief, she smoothed he wrinkles of the dress and regained her composure, straightening her back and placing the stoic mask on her face everyone had seen before.  
"There used to be love but I think it faded- all I remember is when he himself was too weak to latch onto me which wasn't very often. I deeply want to apologize, without me he had never come this far I assume."  
It took her another minute to gather her thoughts again.  
"If you wish to punish me for his wrongdoings I will accept everything. If my life is what you desire you shall have it, for I have forfeited it and the power I held oh so long ago. I cannot give you his secrets for I do not know them myself, nor can I give you more than I know which is not much. Whatever fate you deem worthy of me I shall take it."  
With that she bowed and retreated back to the room they had offered her for the duration of her stay. She stood at the window and longingly looked to the place Morguldil once called her home when the door opened behind her. A deep breath escaped her chest before she turned around but she was surprised to find one of the women standing on her doorstep. With a nod she allowed the other to step in. The brunette closed the door behind her and nonchalantly sat down on the bed and made herself comfortable.  
"They didn't decide anything yet.", she said with a careless tone in her voice, "in case you were expecting me to bring you your death sentence or something."  
A slightly annoyed huff left the smaller one's lips before she took a seat next to the other.  
"After all that happened I'd understand every cruelty done to me."  
"You confuse us with the dark forces."  
At that the woman of Mordor winced, a shudder ran down her spine and the small hairs on the nape of her neck raised up in discomfort. Aslaug's eyes widened when she realized what her words had meant for the other.  
"My apologies, I didn't want to-"  
"Don't apologize. I know that none of him who I loved is left in the entity that terrorized your people for too long. I failed to see that. Denial is not the state I wish to fall back into. I kept my eyes closed for too long."  
"Do not blame yourself for his actions. If he truly robbed you of your senses there is nothing you could have done."  
The brunette took the smaller hands of the other in her hands and let her eyes wander to the woman's face. In the few weeks she had stayed in Gondor her skin had turned from an ashy-almost-white to a tone that looked more alive, a pink flush always present on her face made her features look rounder, in addition to that she seemed to have gained weight and looked not as frail anymore, rather soft than angular and harsh. Her hair was less matte and overall the darkness seeped out of her the longer she stayed away from the dark lands. When the woman from Calembel found the other's eyes she saw their true colors for the first time, no longer hazy and clouded but bright and in a piercing shade of light lavender.  
She averted her gaze but held onto her hands tightly.  
"Have you ever loved? In all the years you have lived?"  
Aslaug looked back up to the ground and smiled.  
"Had you asked me this questions merely two years ago I would have told you that I believed love were a thing I had no room for in me. Today, I share my heart with two men and almost lost both of them."  
The other woman nodded with understanding and she felt warmth blossom in her chest.  
"You're young and it seems time is on you and your love's side. It is the two sons of this city, am I correct? I recognized the adoration in your eyes when you look at them."  
A red tint spread over the woman's face, she didn't like to be too obvious with emotions the majority of the time, but her heart began to burst with feelings whenever she laid her eyes on either of them. Against her will her heart began to beat faster only at the thought of them. She heard a chuckle next to her.  
"I know how it feels, like you can hear the blood rushing through your ears, on their way to color you in a flush, heart fluttering like the wings of a little bird. I used to know it all too well. Don't ever be ashamed of love. Afraid, for sure, but never ashamed."  
They continued their conversation over a few more minutes and fell into a comfortable silence for even more time, before the door flew open with a bang and both directed their attention to the four Halflings that stumbled into the room and closed it in a hurry. Both of them frowned at the group, a confused look on each face. As if she sensed someone approaching she shushed the Hobbits and gestured for them to hide behind the bed and be quiet. Only seconds later the door opened again and one of the sons of the Steward of Gondor poked his head through the slightly opening.  
"Have you seen the little ones?"  
"They were not here, why do you ask? Are you looking for them?"  
Faramir looked at her with suspicion but focused on his love when she cleared her throat and requested him to answer her question.  
"The usual, they caused mischief, knocked some of Gandalf's things over and now a book is missing. They ran from the crime scene as soon as we heard the commotion. I was just wondering if they came by or if you heard or seen them by chance."  
"They haven't been here, maybe they are seeking shelter at your chambers."  
He nodded and quickly closed the door. After his footsteps were out of reach for them to hear the four of them crawled out of their hiding and brushed the dust off of their clothes.  
"Thank you for covering us up.", Frodo said, but when he turned he looked into the woman's eyes.  
"Nothing to thank me for. I should thank you for making me see the light of day again.", she smiled at all of them. It only took a few seconds for them to fidget around and to whisper quietly to each other, before Merry nudged Sam harshly with his elbow so he stumbled forward and pulled out an old, leather-bound book from under his cloak. He looked for a certain page and placed it on Morguldil's lap.  
With curiosity she looked at the page.  
"She looked familiar to you, yet somehow like a different person. Is this you?"  
It was a book about old legends and talks, too old for many to remember. Her lips curled upwards as she let the tips of her fingers glide over the parchment, somehow caressing the people's faces that were pictured.  
"I believe it is… I almost forgot… How strange."  
It took a rather long time before they asked her to face the King again, and that's how they ended up in Isengard, he had entrusted her to rebuild both the land of darkness as well as Saruman's residency to make up for what had happened, an execution would only leave the people with short-timed satisfaction when there could be so much more done with a whole lifetime of work.

The sun begun to set earlier than expected, but it was still only late spring or early summer, and the mountains were high so as soon as the sun vanished form the horizon nightfall and the cold were approaching quickly. They had found a way to make fire and light without wood and using magic instead. The Ents didn't like fire after the things that had happened to big parts of their woods but created to much excessive energy that could be transformed into heat and light that was safe for cooking and baking but could never harm wood and was nowhere near the temperature needed for forging iron and steel.  
Before the last rays of sun vanished from the sky there was a commotion and many noises coming from the gates. The two women walked over to see what was going on, worried that something had happened, but all they saw was a group of riders and other people fathering around them and chatting happily. One man in particular pushed himself on the tip of his toes to look over the crowd, watching over the people to find a certain someone. He then began pushing to the sides to get a better view and left his men in the middle of women that were happy to see their brothers, sons and men again.  
The second Aslaug spotted and recognized him she ran in his direction and jumped into his open arms. She wrapped herself around him and pressed a kiss to his lips. It had been too long since she had seen him last. But before they could exchange any words he was tackled and thrown to the ground by four excited Hobbits, taking her down with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was basically bullied into creating Dil but she now is my new child and I love her with all of my heart, which doesn't mean I won't let her suffer.


	5. Night Out // modern au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt "Gondor Bros singing "You're my Heart, you're my soul" by Modern Talking" was thrown at me and my mind instantly wandered places.  
> Don't mind the bad vine/Tik Tok/ whatever references it's modern au and I'm convinced Boromir and Faramir have a Youtube channel called "Gondor Unsolved" or something.

"You know I'm not really one for partying.", Aslaug said with a slight scowl on her face as she dismissed a man that had approached her and asked for a dance, then turned to watch the mass of people with drinks in der hands getting wild on the dancefloor. She herself was sitting down on a couch, watching from afar instead of joining. With a huff she leaned back and took a sip of her drink, shaking her head. What they were playing simply couldn't be described as music anymore and the only thing it did was hurting her eardrums.  
String lights crossed the ceiling from one wall to another and flooded the room with weak, colorful light. In addition to that, flickering studio lights illuminated her face in all the colors of the rainbow. She had half of her hair braided and pinned up in a similar to her friend that sat next to her and long earrings with little crows on them dangled down and framed her face. Turning her head to the left she looked at Legolas, who didn't seem to enjoy the scenery either but seemed to be quite interested in the happenings on dancefloor. She followed his gaze and immediately smiled when she saw Gimli, another friend of them clumsily dancing with Merry and Pippin, who clearly didn't give a damn about what kind of music to listen to in order to have fun which was probably quite the hobbit-thing for them to do. Even though she wasn't big on dancing either, she definitely whished for something she could at least hum along to, a round of decade-songs was probably the most desirable thing for her, and maybe, if the Gods were merciful enough she'd be gifted with another top-tier lip-synch battle like earlier when a few boys performed some girl-group songs and if she was honest, an embarrassed Éomer performing the Spice Girls wasn't something she expected to see today, but it hadn't been a bad sight at all. Aslaug turned the other way around and faced Aragorn, who had his arm draped around the back of the couch and his legs spread as widely as possible. With a cheeky expression she shifted her leg against his and whispered to him: "Close up your legs you dirty slut."  
His head snapped around with a look of bewilderment on his face which made her cackle. "My bad your princeliness, but I'd like to remind you that his is just a club, not one of the swinger ones if you know what I mean."  
Aslaug recognized a little glint of annoyance flashing over his face before he grinned to himself and answered.  
"Don't call me that."  
"What? A slut or princliness."  
"The latter."

She threw her head back laughing. For his usually formal attire he had come down from his high horse over the time they had known each other. She was aware that he held his morals and values high and had an astonishing sense for honor and formalities but that didn't stop him from being quite aloof sometimes when he was around his friends.  
"Have you seen any of the others except the self-proclaimed kings of Just Dance?", he asked once she calmed herself down. The brunette said that she didn't and for a minute she was left wondering, before the music suddenly shifted and an easily identifiable 80s song was blasted over the speakers.  
"Ladies and Gents, fools and cowards it's finally time to whip out the mullets and flashy tracksuits for the 1980s!", the DJ dragged raised the volume of the music again and people began cheering.  
Aslaug turned to Legolas who simple tilted his head in the direction of the crowd and that's when it hit her. Two men had made their way to the middle of the dancefloor and had begun to play air instruments along to the song. All three on the couch face-palmed before they began giggling. The Gondor Bros clearly had one or two beers too many and lost their sense for human dignity and their inhibition threshold was now lowered dangerously close to zero. On top of their lungs and with shrill voices they screeched the lyrics, singing was no longer a term appropriate for the sounds they made.  
"It's my world in fantasy. I'm livin' in my, livin' in my dreams."  
"You're my heart, you're my soul, I keep it shining everywhere I go."  
This was ridiculous and the brunette couldn't believe her eyes, that two grown men behaved like teenage boys that thought they were the shit.  
"You're my heart, you're my soul. Yeah, a feelin' that our love will grow.", the older began to serenade his younger brother – the sheer amount of second hand embarrassment that washed over the young woman was unmeasurable. Her face involuntarily began to heat up and a blush of awkwardness blossomed all over her skin. To see if both Aragorn and Legolas cringed only nearly as badly as she did the brunette turned to the right and saw that he was watching in amusement, then turned to the left and saw that the Elf had his phone in his hand, recording the whole situation.  
"For the record.", he said when he noticed the judgmental expression on her face.  
"And for blackmail." the other man added with a smug grin.  
It didn't take too long for the song to end and against every rule of proper music they still earned some applause and appreciation from the ones who were under the influence of alcohol just like them. Much to her dismay they saw their friends on the sofa and made their way over to the group. Nonchalantly both plopped down next to the girl, effectively forcing the other men to budge and move to the side to not get crushed. Aragorn, who didn't act fast enough, ended up with the older of the brothers on his lap.  
"Not what I wanted", Boromir said when he looked down to him, pouting, "but definitely not bad." Legolas snickered at his statement but his friend didn't bother to shove the Steward's son off of him. They stayed like this for a while and talked, until the topic got a little… out of hand. For the past minutes the two tipsy idiots had begun to pester Aslaug with pleas to get her to drink with them.  
"Oh come on pretty dolly, please."  
"Don't call me that or I'll shove that 'dolly' up your ass."  
"He's gonna be butthurt then.", Pippin said as he walked by the bickering couple.  
"Watch yourself or I'll kick your butt so hard you won't be able to sit for a week.", the brunette abruptly got up and threatened to chase after the Hobbit.

"Look for someone your size!" he stated, sticking out his tongue in the process.  
Before she could engage in a chase and then some sort of tickle-fight as punishment Faramir had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down to his lap.  
"Come on stop it I'm not anyone's arm- or lap candy what is this-"  
"We know, you're always standing next to us, not behind.", he exclaimed.  
Another shift in the music gained the men's attention and as soon as he recognized the first few notes the older brother suddenly got up.  
"Oh come on, come on", Boromir made grabby hands and tried to reach for Aslaug and then pulled her to her feet. The number of incidents in which both sons of the Steward of Gondor bullied their younger friend into doing something increased steadily, but her reluctance never did. However, no matter how often she said she wouldn't do something she agreed to it right away once she saw how happy it made them.  
"I'm a terrible dancer.", she tried to talk her way out of it.  
"I'm drunk, therefore I'm worse."  
She reached one hand to Faramir and pulled him along too, because hell, if she had to go down, she'll drag both of them with her. Both took one of her hands in theirs and marched over to the dancefloor, where they immediately began to spin her around. It was odd, three people dancing something that could still be regarded as partner-dance but who bothered?

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody. Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me.

Quickly she began von ear to ear and it felt like the music carried all her worries away and she began to sing along too, letting the song carry her over the floor. Her dress flared out when she was turned from one man's arms into the others and no one watching this would fail to see the joy portrayed on her face. As all good things, the song ended way too fast for her taste and she pressed a quick kiss to both of their lips before they made their way over to the bar to get drinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This oneshot is saved as "disco pogo" on my computer.  
> Save me.


	6. When the party is over // modern au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up to the night out!  
> In my experience, the way back home is usually funnier than the party itself, if it weren't for the ones that think whenever it's the wee hours of the morning that deeptalk is appropriate.

"We're off… to see the wiZARD… the wo-honderful wi-hi-hihihihi…"  
Both sons of the Steward of Gondor stumbled from one side of the pavement to the other, each one arm around the other's shoulders trying to support themselves as to not fall over. Attempting to reenact "The Wizard of Oz" had been not the best idea, but one must say that their rendition was pretty good, especially for being this intoxicated – little dances and all. As always the group had decided to leave in one go so no one would stay behind and accidentally be forgotten – that happened once and after that adventure they all agreed that they'd never let it happen again. It was so late that some might already consider it being the early hours of the morning but no one was to bother and no one was so tired they started whining.   
Aslaugs eyes wandered over the members of her group and she counted if they really weren't missing anyone and to her delight that was the case. She looked over to three of the Hobbits walking in the middle of the road, she'd asked them to do otherwise but people being awake at this time obviously had better things to do than to drive around the city. Wait, three? Where was the fourth? It confused her and she blinked a few times, a little doubt in her mental abilities after some alcohol was appropriate, but did she really loose her ability to see? The brunette looked around again and then saw the little one, sleeping, slouched against of the back of the girl who was giving him a pity-back-ride. Aslaug chuckled, luckily her boys weren't the only ones that one too many apparently.   
"I don't need… assistance from an elf.", Gimli slurred his words but Legolas stayed persistent. It had been another drink-off between the two of them, the dwarf either didn't understand or didn't want to admit that the blond man simply wasn't a match for him when it came to whatever kind of competition he decided to throw himself into.   
"But- but I wan't some from my love!", Faramir exclaimed, having hear the other's words, and turned around to make grabby hands in Aslaug's direction.

"No way- me to…", his brother mumbled. She simply rolled her eyes and wordlessly squeezed herself between them, supporting one on either side they continued the journey home but it was not long until another brilliant idea crossed the boy's minds.  
"Hey- I don't have to be Dorothy anymore, we can be Dog, Dorothy and Scarecrow now!"  
"Why should anyone of us be Toto?", she asked with an irritated expression on her face.   
"You're right, as always- I'm Scarecrow I don't have a brain.", Boromir mumbled under his breath.  
"So you think I'm the Tinman? Heartless?", the younger almost sounded offended and hurt at this statement. An annoyed huff escaped her lungs. Seriously, they were like little kids sometimes, 'arguing' over the smallest and dumbest things.  
"How about that, Boromir, you can be Scarecrow, Faramir you can be Dorothy and I'll be someone else."  
"You can be the Wicked Witch of the West.", the younger said cheekily.  
"Ich fang an zu kotzen, einfach unglaublich!", she exclaimed in elvish.  
Offended, Aslaug pushed both of them away from her and left them to themselves. She heard a cackle and looked over to Aragorn, a smug grin had spread over his face, next to him walked Eomer, who had a drunk girl slumped over his shoulder.   
"So Mr. Spice do you think you're getting some tonight?", the brunette said, wiggling her eyebrows at him which made his face flush a deep shade of crimson red. The heir of Isildur began to chuckle, looked at the blond man and rolled his eyes. He gently nudged her shoulder and pushed her to the side, away from him.

"What do you think, how long will it take him to notice?"  
"He already knows.", Legolas threw into the conversation, the two from Gondor now walking beside the Elf and the Dwarf, "and her? The morning of the wedding, probably." Aslaug laughed loudly, she knew her friend well and all possibilities taken into consideration, that was the one thing most likely to happen. There was no way that these two would end up confessing to one another, at some point there'd be simply too much sexual tension, they'd hit it off and establish a relationship without noticing, and maybe a friends-with-benefits situation that gradually becomes more and more serious. Yeah, that's it, Aslaug said to herself, that's exactly how it will go, no doubt.  
She looked over to them once more and smiled. It was only a matter of time until the two would get it on anyway. So far, quite the considerable amount of their friend group (or rather small, dysfunctional family) had found some significant other.   
"I really had fun today, we should go out more often!", Pippin said, having slowed his pace to also walk next to the others. The Hobbits so seemed enjoy every occasion they got, so matter whether the party, club or bar sucked or not, they always had their fair share of fun.  
"Too bad Arwen and Eowyn couldn't join us.", Merry chimed in, "They sure are busy renovating their new place."  
"Right, Renovating.", Gimli slurred wiggling his eyebrows which made Aslaug snort loudly.

Then again, he was right. Another couple that more or less expectantly got together not too long ago, but as head over heels they were, they instantly moved in together in a small cottage close to the woods. It was just a matter of time until the invitations to their marriage celebration would flutter into the mailboxes. The woman from Calembel liked to think about how long she and her men danced around each other and the topic of a relationship, totally oblivious to it and feelings so thick in the air the others could have cut them out of the atmosphere and smacked the three love struck dorks across the head with it.  
"They surely are living the cottage core lesbian life more than I do."  
"I hate to break it to you, but you're not a lesbian, Sam.", Merry laughed at Pippin's statement and the gardener shook his head in defeat. Sam had unsurprisingly been the first out of all of them to marry and was way too quiet about it. He should brag about his precious Rosi more often, for she let him out with his friends whenever he felt like it and wasn't one of those jealous 'You can't talk to anyone except me'- type of girls. Usually she'd join them too when going out, but there she went on a wellness-one-week-trip with her Halfling friends to bask in self-care glory and copious amounts of facemasks. They were the ones everyone had bet their money on to get married first and after that came true everyone was just silently waiting for the day they'd announce a baby was on the way. Aslaug's face began to heat up, the thought of tiny Halfling babies too cute for her to handle. Rather sooner than later she pleaded in her head.  
"Imagine the field day Gandalf would have if he knew about all those sappy couples.", Aragorn muffled under his breath, speaking up after a few minutes of silence.  
"You're just sulking because you didn't get Arwen OR Eowyn.", Boromir hiccupped. For being this drunk he was still quite good at eavesdropping. Recognize talent when you see it.

"Go and join Eomer and Avelis they wouldn't mind.", Faramir threw into the conversation and as if it was on command all heads turned to the two people he mentioned. The man from Rohan had put the girl down to check on her, cradling her face in his hands and whispered tiny words at her to which she didn't show much of a response. It was more than obvious he had taken a liking to her, but unlike the cocky behavior he displayed most of the time he was simply too shy to act on it. He was a caring man after all and the thought of unrequited love scared him shitless, at least that's how his sister decided to put it.   
Aragorn shook his head, "I don't think I could do that, don't know how you pull it off in the first place.", he answered the Gondor brothers.   
"Let it be or die trying.", Boromir said, sticking out his tongue to the older male.   
"What about Frodo.", Sam mentioned and immediately the display of displeasure graced his features. The girl carrying said Halfling also turned around, an offended expression that could compete with both Elrond and Thranduil plastered on her childish face.   
"Who the fuck wants whiny ass Baggins.", she spat with utmost disbelief in her voice and with that sent all the other Hobbits straight into a laughing fit.  
"Why are you laughing?", she asked, more rhetorical than anything else, "all he does is be melancholic and his character is reduced to this stupid ring he used to have and that scar that hurts every now and then when the weather changes. I like him, I really do but… no."  
Her statement had Merry and Pippin almost on the floor, shaken up by laughter.   
Amused by that they continued their way home, but before a comforting silence fell over them Legolas threw in a new topic out of nowhere.

"Dil, you should get over him, honestly."  
"Damn, Elf, could you just stop being insensitive for once.", Aslaug hissed at him. The breakup with Mairon had been anything but easy, the relationship seemed abusive and toxic from start to finish but it had taken the girl too long to see it. He's drained her from energy she had and used it for his gain, like honey on her tongue and salt in her wounds. Since then she had changed herself in almost every aspect, she seemed less dark, probably because her hair color faded back to the natural golden shine after dyeing many it times in the darkest shade imaginable. Her clothes weren't elongated, tight and revealing anymore, her figure seemed softer now, rounder, dressed in lively colors and patterns so that she looked more alive than she ever did. Her skin blossomed in every color imaginable, tattoos were just one of the many things he prohibited her from getting, in the end she hadn't been able to do pretty much anything without his permission.  
"No it's alright.", she spoke up, "I'm happy with what I have now, happy to be with you, that's more important than anything a 'lover' could ever give to me.", she smiled more to herself than to the others. Of course she missed his touch and sweetened words but she knew she could have that without the pain and hurt. 

Not soon after the group had recovered from the downer Legolas plowed them over with, the Gondor men, this time including Aragorn, had begun singing once more, this time in varying volume and intensities. Aslaug silently hoped that they wouldn't settle on The Lion King which had happened once before with Boromir holding Pippin up like Simba- luckily the latter had been way too intoxicated to notice the bruises he got as a souvenir of that night after the soon-to-be Steward of Gondor dropped him out of nowhere. Faramir had looked as shocked as Simba when he discovered Mufasa when he saw his beloved Halfling-best-friend on the ground. Whatever musical they picked, the parallels were never ending and they made sure to make quite the show out of it.  
This time however, they settled on the cheerful tunes of Queen and produced the most horrendous version of both 'I want to break free' and Bohemian Rhapsody' but also My Chemical Romance songs like 'Teenagers' and 'Welcome to the Black Parade' ever known to man, elf and dwarf.   
Luckily the group reached their house they all shared not long after the newfound Gondor-Band ended the third concert of their second world tour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, and, whatever made me think it was funny, but elvish in the modern au is German. I don't speak elvish (sadly) but I found it fitting to include it, since they switch language quite often.  
> And say hello to Avelis, another friend we dragged into this mess.


	7. Gi melin // modern au

It made Aslaug halt in her steps when she heard to familiar voices conversing with each other while she took a walk through the gardens. For a second she contemplated if she should stop and listen or move on, but as soon as she was able to distinguish her love's voice she decided to sneak up to them.  
The sun shone down heavily on her head but a nice summer breeze made the heat bearable. Little speckles of light danced over her skin as she passed under the arches of flowers, the gold shimmering through the leaves. The gardens had been one of her favorite places, one to relax and breathe in the fresh air that smelled like grass and flowers when the rain had not ridden the atmosphere of its scent. White flowers cascaded down the walls and made the place bright and alive, the sound of bees buzzed from all around and every now and then a pair of butterflies flew by.  
She set her feet in front of each other carefully, naked soles hitting the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible as she got closer and closer. By now she could tell who the other person was, and she also heard words, few of a speech she didn't really speak. However she could translate those few into her tongue.  
"Ich liebe dich."  
All of the color drained from her face when she heard these words leaving his lips clumsily. Maybe he was studying the elven language, she thought, he was always keen on his studies and learning new things after all, that was probably it. She remembered that Legolas offered to teach him, happy that another man was willing to learn his native language which left the lands with its speakers.   
It hurt her when a female responded the same words.  
"Ich liebe dich."  
She looked around the corner and there was her love, she didn't see the other person but she saw the way he smiled at his hands and then looked up to the other with adoration and wonder in his eyes.

It gripped her heart and ripped it straight out of her chest. She always had been the one to step back from her own happiness to guarantee it for others. The thought of him finding someone else to love who was not her had crossed her mind before but she managed to banish it into the deepest corner of her consciousness. But right in this moment it hit her again with full force. Aslaug bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears. Of course, the moment she found love the end of it had already loomed over their heads in a threatening fashion. Quick steps carried her away from the scene, head to full with thoughts that she didn't realize what else was said by the two.   
The woman from Calembel had been locked up in her own mind for the rest of the day, biting the nails of her fingers and scratching the back of her hand out of nervousness. Boromir eyed her from the side, he noticed her strange behavior and question it himself. He hadn't seen his love this restless for a long time. But for now he decided to watch from afar, some days were just not made for her and she'd calm down on her own. The son of Gondor was afraid he'd only aggravate her more. Once she had pushed herself beyond a certain point there was no getting her back that easily and no matter what was said she'd pay absolutely no mind or way too much mind to it and it would both end in an argument, and the swordsman was surely not looking for trouble.  
"What's with her?", Aragorn nudged him in the side to gain his attention, nodding in her direction. All he could do was raise his shoulders, for he didn't know what had caused her sour mood. He shook his head and told him not to worry, he hoped that if it was a severe reason she'd come to him on her own behalf.

In the afternoon Pippin had dared to sneak into her room where she laid in bed looking up to the ceiling. He didn't mind and knew she didn't either so he sat down next to her. It worried him, to see the empty expression on her face. She was his best friend (that was not Merry) after all and he cared for her deeply.  
So he sat there in silence, waiting if she wanted to talk to him, and after a while she did.  
"I heard him confess his love to another."  
"Who?"  
He looked at her in confusion before he realized who she had meant. It could not have been something Boromir had done, he had been with him all day long out and about, there was no way he had said such thing. Faramir it was, then. The tiny gears in his mind began to turn to figure out what her husband could have done, or rather what he himself could to do either solve to conflict or lighten up her mood.   
Pippin, being the Hobbit he was, decided to drag her out of bed to make some food, he knew that it cheered him up and maybe it would work for her too. They often bonded over their fairly large appetite and what was this elvish saying Legolas sometimes used? Liebe geht durch den Magen? He went for the usual, Ramen with boiled egg and cheese, her favorite, no matter how bad it sounded to others.  
After that she indeed felt better, he saw it on her face and how she smiled a little. But as soon as the younger son of Gondor came into the kitchen and acted as if there was nothing Pippin's blood almost began to boil. Aslaug's face fell when he approached and took a seat next to her.

"Love?", he said, his voice rising.   
On the inside she prepared for the worst, the way he would end things with her, leaving her behind with a void in her heart nothing could fill, damaged beyond repair.  
"Ich liebe dich.", he whispered in her ear. As soon as he finished speaking he pulled back with the biggest smile on his face. He watched her reaction but it didn't go as he expected it to do.  
"What was that for?", she yelled, shoving against his chest so hard he almost fell down onto the kitchen floor. He chuckled at her rough behavior as he always did and brought himself back up into a better position.  
"What's wrong with saying I love you?", he grinned but his laughter faltered as soon as he saw how her eyebrows knitted together in sadness. This look in her eyes was the one he hated the most, he could deal with anger but not the disappointed shine – and knowing he was the one who caused it made him even more uncomfortable.  
"Hey, what is it?", he took her face in his hands and wiped his thumbs over her cheeks. She shook her head but began to chuckle the moment he started to pepper small kisses all over her face.  
"Nothing, I'm just stupid.", she laughed.  
"You are not. But why do you think so?"  
"I heard you say it and I thought it was for another."  
"I correct myself, you indeed are stupid."  
In that moment Avelis entered the kitchen, an empty mug in her hand and looked at them, she heard part of the conversation and decided to chime in.

"I wondered why you were practicing elvish in the first place, Aslaug doesn't understand batshit anyway.", she uttered more or less under her breath while she made herself another cup of tea.  
"Except cusswords. Bet she knows every single one of them."  
Faramir grinned at her which earned him a smack across the head.  
"Who taught you? Dil?"  
She asked him with curiosity in her eyes. On the one hand she could hit herself for overthinking the whole situation, on the other she was amazed by his interest.  
"Yeah, I bugged her long enough until she agreed to do it."  
"You didn't have to bug her at all. She accepted the first time you asked.", Pippin corrected him mischievously.  
"Ich. Liebe. Dich.", by now even I remember it better than you.", the Hobbit grinned before his taller friend began chasing after him playfully, shouting empty threats.

"So I reckon you thought I confessed my love to another?"  
Aslaug nodded hesitantly, a little embarrassed that she put so little trust in him. He grasped her hand in his and began swinging them gently on their little walk. He turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss against her temple.  
"You're a no-brainer.", he said with a smile, "but you're my no-brainer. You're a fool for thinking that."  
"Yeah, I'm one love struck fool."  
"My favorite love struck fool. Next is Pippin obviously."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to use more speech but I'm bad at both descriptions and imitating how people talk. And that's coming from a person who never shuts up.


	8. Pictures of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some angst again!  
> I'm trying to use songtitles for the chapters, but I feel like I should put a clearer description as the name of the chapter so you know what you get I am not creative enough to think of something, maybe I will just change it in the future.

The sound of giggles was loud in the palace and the sound of small, naked feet hitting the ground echoed through the tall stone walls.  
"Not so fast, you're going to fall!", the Hobbit ran after the child. He had been tasked to watch over the little one, and the one second he was not looking the mischievous little thing ran off like always. He rounded a corner and became even faster, trying not to lose the tiny troublemaker in the halls.  
"No not that way!", he hissed but it was too late. All he heard was a dull thud which was followed by a surprised gasp. He also caught up to them and tried to calm his labored breath.  
"I'm very sorry, I wasn't paying attention for a second and she was gone faster than second breakfast is when Merry is hungry."  
"Do not worry, my friend."  
He looked up and was met by the eyes of the younger son of the Steward of Gondor.  
"And you young lady, you should listen more often!", he said with a chuckle, but before he could swipe her up and go somewhere she escaped his grasp and pushed past him.  
"Who's that?"  
Faramir's face fell in the matter of seconds. He sighed, a silent hint for Pippin to give them some time. The Halfling swallowed hard but offered him a comforting smile and went somewhere else.  
Breathing in deeply and bracing himself and turned around to see who the girl was looking at.  
She pointed a little chubby finger at a big painting of a beautiful woman, a face he couldn't really remember but which still gave him comfort.  
"That is my mother.", he responded.  
She looked up at him with large eyes, full with wonder and childish curiosity. It hurt him. Every time she focused on him and gave him this look with her huge, beautiful eyes he could barely keep himself together. It was eating him away.  
"Didn't know you had a mother."  
"Of course Finny, how do you think I got here?"  
"I don't know. By horse maybe."  
A small smile formed on his lips. He remembered when she had first seen the Riders of Rohan approach the White City, and when they were later introduced to the Prince, Eomer's son. If this one came by horse, why shouldn't he have come the same way? He got where she came from. Adorable.  
"Nonetheless Avelis is his mother. Even if he came by horse, there has to be one."  
"Why don't I have one then?"

He almost threw up then and there. For years he feared that question, he knew that one day it would come, he laid out words, things he could and things he shouldn't say, but all this failed him then and there.   
Faramir got on one knee and the little one didn't wait a second to approach him. Her small, sweaty and slightly sticky child hands cupped his face.   
"Okay father, everything good."  
Much to his dismay she had seen him crumble, too often for his taste. If he couldn't be strong for himself, he had to at least stay strong for her.  
"You see the other painting?", he said in a whisper and directed her attention to the one. Finny stepped away from him and walked over. He noticed that the rim of her dress was all muddy and full of grass stains. Little devil, he thought to himself.   
"This one?"  
"Yes."  
He gathered his thoughts and tried to be brave.  
"This is your mother."  
It was no surprise that, when the little one was born Aslaug was deemed to endure even more menacing comments than she had before. A son was all they had been praying for in order to appease the Steward and give him the heir he so much desired. He didn't agree the marriage in the first place and held a deep dislike against her, and this was simply something that could worsen the situation.  
No one liked to admit that their hearts clenched when they heard the news that that a little girl was born on this day. The woman from Calembel was well-liked by the people and they rooted for her to give a son to her husband. Even the commoners knew how she was treated and how many dirty looks she received from both the Steward himself and many of his guards that followed his every order.  
When he was told his grandchild was a girl he looked at both the newborn and her mother with disgust in his eyes, and had Faramir not been there to quickly gather the little one in his arms he would surely have dropped her to the ground.  
"Either it's a son or it's nothing.", he heard him say in the back of his mind. That's what he had growled when he was told she was expecting.  
It was to no avail.  
He remembered how she cried with the baby, fearing for the little life she held in her arms. 

It wasn't long after until they decided to go, leaving both him and the child behind. They were inseparable and if his father wouldn't let him go it was a given that she'd never leave his brothers side. He had his hopes up when they both left for Rivendell, but deep down he knew.

They never returned.

"Who's the other man?"  
He audibly gulped and it pushed him past his breaking point, the first few tears running over his cheeks.  
"My brother.", he said, voice strained as the tears took over. She noticed, of course she noticed, and ran back to him, throwing her little arms around his neck trying to give him comfort.  
"Father don't be sad."

How could he not be?   
Faramir engulfed her in a hug and pressed her body against his as sobs wrecked through his body. 

How could he look in his nieces face and not see the people he used to love looking back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, are those too many paragraphs? It feels like I'm artificially trying to make it look longer but on the other hand blocks of texts also bother me, I'm so indecisive.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I am still quite bad with chapter titles (on my laptop it is simply saved as "rip2") and the formatting, like paragraphs and such.  
> This is part 1 of the 3 oneshots I wrote for my friend's birthday - she requested angst, as usual.


End file.
